Coupler



April 18, 1944. M. E. DATON 2,347,033 v COUPLER Filed July 19, 1941 I 4I j INVENTOR Nfix E. @9770 AT TOQNEYS.

Patented Apr. 18, 1944 COUPLER Max E. Dayton, Rockford, Ill., assig'norof one-half to Bay St. John, Rockford, Ill.

Application July 19, 1941, Serial No. 403,215

7 Claims.

My invention relates to couplers.

The object of my invention is to provide a coupler wherein the partssubject to the greatest stresses are concentrated in a turntable unitsubject to ready and safe control by an operator.

Another object of my invention is to mount my coupler jaws betweenplates which may either move with said jaws as a unit, or may serve asbearing supports for the individual jaw members.

Further objects of my invention will be apparent from the followingdescription.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a plan of my coupler receiver and a ball type connector forsaid receiver, the ball being in a position to be received in thereceiver.

Figure 2 is a section on line 22 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the receiving end of my coupler receiver.

Figure 5 is a section on line 5-5 of Figure 2.

Like parts are designated by the same reference character throughout theseveral views.

In the drawing I have shown my coupler as a ball and socketconstruction, but it will be under" improvements in stood that any shapeof male and female connector for coupler purposes is contemplated inaccord with my invention.

A portion of a tractor is shown fragmentarily at In. It is provided withthe receiver ll of my coupler and the trailer device shown fragmentarilyat I2 is provided with a ball connector l3.

t will be seen from the drawing that I have provided a somewhatbox-shaped frame I i for my receiver II, the top and bottom walls I5 andHi of which are circularly apertured at I! and .43 to receive upper andlower jaw plates I9 and. 2 between which unit with said plate I providesocket forming jaws 2| and 22 mounted on jaw pins 23 and 24. It is tothese parts including the jaw plates, jaw pins, and the jaws themselves.as an oscillatable unit, that I have applied the term turntable. Figures1, 3 and 5 especially show how I form my top and bottom walls 15 and ISwith a generally circular aperture in which the plates I9 and 20 aremounted in the same plane with the material forming said walls. andsince the plates l9 and 2!! are shaped for free oscillation with theirmargins bearing upon the margins of the apertures in the walls. it willbe seen from the following description that the plates when spaced bythe socket forming jaws cannot escape from position in their respectiveplanes, respectively coincident with the planes of the said walls.

v The shape of my socket forming jaws is shown most clearly in Figure 2.They are complemen-, tary, and each is bored intermediate its ends toreceive its jaw pin. Their outermost portions, visible through the openside of the frame It. form the socket 25 to receive the ball I3. Theirinnermost portion provide tailpieces 29 which are shaped to receivebetween them a wedge block 21 of control latch 28, thus preventing thesocket forming portions of the jaws from separat ing. A spring 39constantly urges the socketv forming portions of the jaw together.Because the socket forming jaws are of greater extent than the plates l9and 20, radially of the plates. the socket forming jaws bear against theinside surfaces of the walls I5 and I6 and prevent dislocation of theplates out of the plane of the walls. Of course, jaw pins 23 and 24,which are properly shouldered as shown clearly in Figure 5. hold theplates I9 and 29 so as to prevent verticalmovement with respect to theframe.

The upper wall l5 of the receiver II is arcuately slotted at 3| about aportion of the periphery of the plate I9 so that the latch 28 may extendthrough such slot with its wedge-shaped member 21 in position foreffective application between the tailpieces 25 of the jaw members. Theupper portion of the latch extends over the plate l9 and between cars 32and 33 where it is carried upon latch pivot 34. The latch handle 35,therefore, lies over the plate I9, and is biased therefrom by a latchspring 36. It will thus be apparent, as clearly shown in Figure 3, thatwhen the latch handle 35 is depressed against the spring pressure 36,the wedge 21 is withdrawn from between the tailpieces 26 of the jaws,and the jaws may open to receive or release ball I3.

The operator of the tractor l0 may be given control of my receiver II byprovision of a cable 49 extending to the latch at 4|, and a pull uponthe cable 43 will withdraw the wedge 2'! without necessity for theoperator to take a position adjacent the receiver II,

From the above description, it will be seen that by reason of theprovision of jaw plates l9 and 29 and the concentration of the jaws, thejaw pins and the latch mechanism in a turntable construction, th estresses incident to. coupler oper-- I ation are distributed in easilycontrollable parts. The plates 19 and 29 are sufiiciently large andtheir peripheral bearing surfaces provide such wide distribution ofstresses that under heavy pull the entire unit may swing as the trailerunit I2 moves from side to side or at an angle with reference to thetractor l0, and the latch mechanism carried unitarily with the turntablecontruction provides positive means for holding the jaws about the balll3 and holding the ball positively against release. Furthermore, theoperating parts of my coupler are so housed within the box-like receiverII that the possibility of accident is reduced to a minimum. The onlycontrol necessary to an attachment of a tractor and trailer involves thepivotal movement of the latch 23, either by pressure upon the handle 35,or by draft upon the cable 49. There is no requirement for placing thefingers in dangerous positions.

My socket 25 for the reception of the ball is normally in closedposition, but by reason of the shape of the parts is ready for the readyreception of the ball merely upon presentation of the ball against thetapered funnel-like opening of the socket while the wedge is retractedfrom its position between the tailpieces. in position in the socket, thejaws automatically close about it and the wedge may insert itselfbetween the tailpieces to positively lock the ball in the socket.

Because the two plates with the jaws between them turn as a unitaryturntable and the jaw pins are positioned adjacent the periphery of theturntable unit whereby to dispose the socket forming portions of thejaws at the other side of the turntable opposite said pins, the draftupon the ball in the socket automatically aligns the parts forming theturntable so that the pins and the socket forming parts of the ball arealigned with the line of draft.

I claim:

1. In a device of the character described, spaced jaw plates providingjaw bearings, jaw members mounted on said bearings between the plates,said jaw members having tailpieces, one of said plates having a latchadjustably secured thereto for alternative reception between saidtailpieces Whereby to prevent the movement of said jaws on saidbearings, and said plates being mounted for oscillation about an axiseccentric to the jaw portions of the jaw members.

2. The combination with upper and lower apertured plate-like framemembers, of a jaw plate oscillatable in the aperture in each said framemember in the plane of its respective frame member, jaw pins spanningthe space between said plates and each having a jaw thereon, said jawsextending beyond the plates, whereby to bear against the inside of saidframe members, two of said jaws being complementary to form a socket anda pair of tailpieces, said tailpieces being positioned with respect tothe pins whereby to approach one another in the opening of the jaws, anda latch receivable between the tailpieces to prevent the jaws fromopening.

3. In a device of the character described, a turntable including aplate, jaw pins mounted adjacent one another and adjacent the peripheryof the plate, a socket forming jaw mounted upon each of said pins anddisposed across the plate and extending therebeyond, said jaw havingsocket forming portions disposed across the turntable from the pins, anda trailer ball receivable in the socket forming portions of the jawswhereby in turntable movement the line of trailer draft may beautomatically aligned, through said ball and across the center of saidturntable to said pins.

. 4.. In a coupler, the combination with a frame provided with upper andlower co-axial circular bearings, of a turntable unit having upper andWhen the ball is lower bearing elements co-axially swivelled in theupper and lower bearings of the frame, jaw pintles extending inlaterally spaced relationship vertically between the upper and lowerelements of the turntable, and socket forming jaws mounted foroscillation on the respective pintles between the upper and lowerbearing elements of the turntable for oscillatory movement unitarilywith the turntable and as a part thereof, the respective jaws havingcomplementary recesses between said elements and at least largelydisposed within the bearings provided by the frame and between thecommon axis of said bearings and the peripheries of said elements, saidrecesses opening away from said axis.

5. In a coupler, the combination with a frame provided with upper andlower co-axial circular bearings, of a turntable unit having upper andlower bearing elements co-axially swivelled in the upper and lowerbearings of the frame, jaw pintles extending in laterally spacedrelationship vertically between the upper and lower elements of theturntable, and socket forming jaws mounted for oscillation on therespective pintles between the upper and lower bearing elements of theturntable fo-r oscillatory movement unitarily with the turntable and asa part thereof, the respective jaws having complementary recessesbetween said elements and at least largely disposed within the bearingsprovided by the frame and between the common axis of said bearings andthe peripheries of said elements, said recesses opening away from saidaxis, together with a latch having a wedge portion movable toward andfrom the axis of said bearings in a plane intermediate the respectivejaw pintles, and means mounting said latch for such movement, therespective jaws having tail pieces extending rearwardly beyond theirrespective pintles and divergent to receive said latch, whereby themovement of said latch toward the axis of said bearings will close thejaws toward eachother and maintain them in closed position subject torelease upon withdrawal of said latch.

6. The device of claim 5, in which the means mounting the latch for suchmovement comprises a pintle disposed transversely on one of the bearingelements of the turntable, said frame having an opening through whichsaid latch extends into operative proximity to the tail pieces of saidjaws.

7. In a coupling, a device to receive and releasably retain a headedshank, said device comprising a frame including upper and lower plateshaving co-axial bearing openings, a turntable mounted in said frame andcomprising disks flush with the respective plates, said frame having acavity between said plates opening at one side of said turntable toreceive the headed shank afore said, jaw pins spanning the space betweensaid disks at either side of the common axis thereof and beyond saidaxis from the opening of said frame, jaws pivotally mounted on therespective pins for oscillatory movement to and from each other, saidjaws having complementary recesses adapted in the closed positions ofthe jaws to constitute a socket and a throat opening toward the openside of the frame, tail pieces on the jaws extending away from the openside of the frame beyond the jaw pins, said jaws and their respectivetail pieces being in bearing contact with the plates and spanning thebearing openings in the respective plates of said frame, a latch leverprovided with a pintle disposed transversely on one of said disks, theplate in which the last mentioned disk is mounted being provided tivejaws having divergent cam surfaces between which the said lever end isurged to act on said jaws in a direction tending to close said jaws andto maintain them closed pending withdrawal of 5 said latch lever endagainst said bias.

MAX E. DAYTON.

